TransLink bringing 15 more electric buses to Metro Vancouver roads
Posted January 26, 2021 11:52 am.
Last Updated January 26, 2021 11:53 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – TransLink is adding 15 more battery-electric buses to its fleet by next year to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
The transit authority says the additions are in line with its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030.
We're pleased to announce that we have awarded a contract to @novabus_ to bring 15 more battery-electric buses to our fleet. This will more than quadruple our current fleet of battery-electric buses from 4 to 19. pic.twitter.com/dooObMDzRQ
— News from TransLink (@TransLinkNews) January 26, 2021
It’s a $16-million contract to get the 15 electric buses into service starting in 2022, which will fully electrify Route 100 from 22nd Street to the Marpole Loop.
“This investment means the Route 100 bus line will become the first fully electric non-trolly bus line in the Lower Mainland,” says MP for Vancouver South Harjit Sajjan. “Families, workers and students from across Vancouver South will now be able to get around the community more easily, while reducing harmful emissions.”
According to TransLink, each electric bus is expected to reduce 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and save $40,000 in fuel costs annually compared to diesel buses.
TransLink has applied for funding from senior levels of government to bring 57 more electric buses and to build accompanying charging stations. Under its Carbon Fleet Strategy, it plans to eventually replace all diesel buses with electric buses and transition the entire fleet to renewable energy by 2050.
It takes about five minutes to charge the electric buses, and there are currently four in service.
